There is one other interesting way a good sub can help the whole system. At low frequencies the primary in-room problem is an uneven distribution of bass energy because of low modal density. When you place the speaker handling the low frequencies anywhere other than in a corner you will necessarily fail to excite some modes and exacerbate the problem. This almost always happens with full range stereo speakers for example. When you install a subwoofer, crossed over suitably low (say 80 Hz), strategically placed in a corner, you can significantly improve the overall distribution of energy in the room because you will excite all the possible modes. The low-frequency energy distribution will still be uneven but it will be as equally distributed in a given room as possible.